U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,909 to Weiss, et al., entitled “Openable Handle Attachment” and incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, discloses various flashlights and mugs to which openable handles have been attached. The bulky flashlights of FIGS. 14 and 15 of the Weiss patent are identified as being “of the usual household” or “conventional” varieties, with elongated cylindrical bodies in which batteries are housed. Arms of the handle of each variety of flashlight are attached angularly to the elongated cylindrical bodies, forming discontinuities in the shapes of the flashlights. According to the Weiss patent, the flashlights may be actuated by sliding either a thumb switch or a base plate mounted on the cylindrical bodies or by rotating a switch or “by pressure asserted during lifting of the flashlight by the attached openable handle.” See Weiss, col. 10, 11. 1–5.
Commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,015 to Luquire, the inventor of the subject matter described and claimed herein, details padlocks with pivoting arms. The padlocks additionally include shackles formed of curved sections, with the arms positioned between ends of the shackles. The Luquire patent is also incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.